The fried chicken lured him in
Peabody animal control officer Marvin Lirley thought he had met his match when he worked for nearly two weeks to trap a stray dog that was brazen enough to wander up and down the sidewalk in front of the city building while Lirley's truck was parked out back.
The male blue heeler mix was an expert at evasive tactics.
"He just wouldn't let anyone near him," Lirley said. "I hated to shoot him with a tranquilizer gun, so I thought I'd feed him some hamburger with a sedative in it and maybe that would slow him down enough for me to get him into a cage."
Lirley had fair luck with the first dose of sedative, but it didn't slow the animal. The dog was reluctant to eat enough of the second offering to slow him down.
"He had been eating pet food people put out for their dogs and cats," said Lirley. "But eventually he got pretty hungry and we set a live-trap cage with fried chicken from Peabody Market and he went right in after it."
Lirley said he knew the dog belonged to someone who cared about him and that person or family was probably missing him.
Lirley thought the animal was probably about three to five years old. He noted the dog's teeth were in good shape and his coat was healthy and clean.
"I think maybe he fell off a truck," he said. "He has been cared for and he's healthy. He is a working dog and someone trained him."
In addition, Lirley said the dog perked up around children and watched them intently as if he was looking for one or two he knew.
"He never was a threat while he was loose," he said. "He was just not approachable."
The dog was taken to Caring Hands Humane Society in Newton after Lirley was able to secure some local donations in hopes of giving the dog some additional time to be claimed or adopted.
For more information contact Lirley at the city building at 983-2174 or Caring Hands Humane Society at 316-283-0839. Caring Hands is located at 1400 SE Third in Newton.
